Happy Easter everyone! It’s the season that is dominated by hot cross buns and chocolate Easter eggs, in different flavours, and recipes in which they’re used, so if you’re trying to stick to a healthy lifestyle it’s difficult not to be tempted this time of the year!

We’ve opted for a Banting Fridge Cheese Cake that keeps you on track, so that you can satisfy your sweet tooth, and keep it low carb. This cake can be made ahead so that you don’t have to stress over dessert when guests have arrived.

Cheese cakes can get a bit heavy, but this no-bake version with fresh lemon is surprisingly light and fresh. We’re using the OmniBlend for both the crust and the filling, and preparation takes surprisingly little time. Chilling to set the cake takes the most time, so preferably prepare the night before so that the cake has time to chill and set.

Ingredients (for a 20cm spring form):

For the crust:

120 gram mixed nuts (unsalted – we used almonds & cashews)

15 dried dates

3 tbsp melted butter

30 gram desiccated coconut

For the filling:

250 ml fresh cream

120 gram xylitol

500 gram plain full fat cream cheese

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp lemon rind (rind of 1 lemon)

1 tsp vanilla essence

Directions:

Line the base of the cake tin with baking paper. Add the nuts and dates to the jug of the OmniBlend, and pulse until you’ve got a fine grind (or consistency that you like for the crust, you can make it very fine, or keep it coarser). Add the ground nuts to a bowl, and mix the coconut in with a fork. Add the melted butter, and mix to give the mixture an even coat of butter. Spoon the mix into the prepared cake tin, and press down firmly for an even crust. Leave to rest in the fridge.

Rinse and clean the OmniBlend jug, to get ready for the filling.

Add the fresh cream to the jug, and blend on low speed for max 10 seconds. Add in the xylitol, and blend for a few seconds. Add in the cream cheese, lemon juice, and zest, and blend for about a minute, keeping speed low. Pour into a bowl if you’d like to add some food colouring, scraping the jug with a silicon spatula. Be careful to just add a few drops at a time and fold in to check the colour. Add the filling to the cake tin and leave in the fridge for at least 6 hours to set.

We’ve cheated by decorating with speckled eggs to give it a festive Easter look (the kids loved us for it). You can however get a cake topper for a sugar-free alternative that suits the occasion!

For this recipe we used the versatile OmniBlend I - 2ltr Pro. This model has a turn dial for variable speed control, and a pulse. The 2 liter jug is suited for both liquids and grinding dry ingredients, and the narrow base makes it ideal for smaller quantities too. Read more about the OmniBlend I - 2ltr Pro here.